My son has been living in Thailand for several years now. Instead of him traveling to the USA to visit this time I'm going to meet him in Bangkok in mid-October. I'm going to arrive in Bangkok before him and I'm wondering if there are any tea-related destinations, in Bangkok, that I can visit before he gets there. I know several of you live there full or part time, and of course you're all tea drinkers.

I just got back from Bangkok, and I'm going to give you the advice everyone felt I should have before I left...when walking through doors, turn sideways so you don't Bangkok.

I actually didn't buy any tea in Bangkok while I was there--I bought some TGY at the airport in Hong Kong and drank it while there. I figured I wasn't going to find any oolong as good in Bangkok, so I might as well pay a little premium and drink something decent during my stay.

I'll let the guys who know the city better than I do give you their suggestions as the only tea I looked at while there was on supermarket shelves!

Your advice for my son for Hong Kong was excellent although he did make a stop in the 'girlie bar' neighborhood. He made sure to go into a regular bar, and only drank bottled beer. The cab driver tried to cheat him, but he had already seen the price on the meter and absolutely refused to pay more so eventually the driver conceded. Time spent in NYC is good training for traveling.

Actually I wasn't thinking about buying tea, which I don't drink when traveling. I was thinking of tea-related souvenirs.

Glad to hear my advice helped. HK cab drivers are much more honest than cab drivers in most of Southeast Asia--I've never had one try to rip me off ever, even when I didn't speak Cantonese.

Your son probably had to pay tolls and return fees of some kind for using bridges/tunnels and didn't realize he had to. The details are on the yellow labels on the doors.

I saw some handpainted porcelain mugs in the Jatujak (big market) that I considered buying. I also saw the same kind in the airport for about 10x the price, but with better overall workmanship. Bangkok is a great city--I think you'll like it.

Glad to hear my advice helped. HK cab drivers are much more honest than cab drivers in most of Southeast Asia--I've never had one try to rip me off ever, even when I didn't speak Cantonese.

Your son probably had to pay tolls and return fees of some kind for using bridges/tunnels and didn't realize he had to. The details are on the yellow labels on the doors.

I saw some handpainted porcelain mugs in the Jatujak (big market) that I considered buying. I also saw the same kind in the airport for about 10x the price, but with better overall workmanship. Bangkok is a great city--I think you'll like it.

We understand that most are honest. My son said that he saw the price on the meter and then the driver shut off the meter and named a much higher price. I suspect it was the time (middle of the night) and the location (girlie bar neighborhood), since it wasn't an issue in the next taxi on the way back to the airport.

I'll only be on my own for 2 days, and I'll be spending a chunk of that time recovering from jet lag. I did see some beautiful porcelain posted here but I may need to wait for my concierge (aka my son) and my translator (his thai girlfriend). The company is called Boonyarat Benjarong and they make porcelain with intricate patterns. I would probably buy covered bowls rather than tea ware since I don't need English-style teaware.

As it turns out I won't be alone most of my first 2 days in Bangkok as my son's girlfriend is going to meet me at the airport on Friday. I sent her the link to the Benjarong web site and I'm thinking we can go to the store on Saturday. I'm fairly certain that my son would prefer that we go without him as he has absolutely no interest in teaware or fine china.

Food cart food is on my list of things to do. My son's girlfriend is Thai so she'll be able to order me true vegetarian food i.e. no fish sauce. But as for bad food - I have a photo my son took in a Bangkok pizza place when his girlfriend was putting ketchup on pizza. Since I'm not going to Thailand to eat American food that shouldn't be a problem.

Have a great trip JRS. Bangkok and Thailand in general have been in a top 5 places I want to visit for many years ... though not for tea. Culture and people, food and horticultural interests would likely top my list.

Actually, you can get pretty good Italian food in BKK, among other things. Thailand is the rice basket of Asia (lol) and there is lots of good stuff to eat everywhere. Ketchup on pizza isn't my thing, nor have I seen anyone do that, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. In the Philippines everyone douses their pizza in hot sauce, and if you get one to go, it comes with packets of hot sauce for your dining convenience!

Fish sauce is very necessary in most Thai cuisine, but I'm sure you can find something to eat with a little legwork. I eat and drink pretty much anything and will often go out of my way to try new food and drink. Thai cuisine is vast and regionally diverse, so I have a lot more exploring to do!